All quiet on the western front, silent version

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When I saw it yesterday night, Sunday 25,2018.It was the silent version.At first, it did not make any sense.I was thinking that if this was for theaters, without sound equipment, then why the sound effects and music? then when the scene of the French women coming out including Yola D'Arvil, of the king of jazz fame, they were speaking.I guess that studios weren't sure if talkies were going to stick so they did a silent version with sound just in case.But see At that time people wanted to see a film that talked, just as they were still waiting for 3 color cinematography.Then I learned that universal created this for international purposes.With the difficulty of dubbing, foreign intertitles could be placed, this is my guess.There'something interesting.Zasu Pitts originally played the mother and they shot her in the scenes, but, she was laughed off the screen by the audience.They replace her with Beryl Mercer. Too bad the super long version is lost.

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I too saw this version last night, and was greatly disappointed. I have owned this movie both on VHS, and DVD, and never known anything but a talking version. I did some digging last night to find, as you did that this must have been the international version. Apparently, on the blu-ray they have released both versions. I just haven`t bought it yet. I am hoping TCM will show the talky at some point.

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I too saw this version last night, and was greatly disappointed. I have owned this movie both on VHS, and DVD, and never known anything but a talking version. I did some digging last night to find, as you did that this must have been the international version. Apparently, on the blu-ray they have released both versions. I just haven`t bought it yet. I am hoping TCM will show the talky at some point.

They actually show the talkie version quite a bit. They've only shown the silent version twice. They'll certainly show the talkie version again. No need to get so angry.

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Like most people on this string I was confused when I started watching this movie. I have been watching this movie on and off for the past 50 years and this is the first time that I have seen the version without dialogue. The movie won the Oscar for Best Production (picture) with dialogue, I wonder why TCM showed the dialogue-less version. THere are plenty of gaps between the actual dialogue and the silent dialogue cards. It shows worst in both Slim Sommerville and Louis Wolheim where you miss their characteristic vocal inflections. Both great old time actors who did not do much past this film. My grandfather would watch this film with me and actually say that it was a very good representation of the real thing.